Despite concerns, neighbor recognizes center's value

A new facility in Mentor, approved for repurposing at the Mentor Planning Commission meeting on Aug. 22, aims to provide specified care for mothers and pregnant women facing obstacles associated with recovery from opiate addiction. The house - a partnership between the Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers and Crossroads - will host up to six women at a time and their children up to 5 years old. Residential treatment and early childhood development programs will be provided to mother and child. Tonja Schleicher, owner of Ridge Pointe Child Care, which is next to the treatment center, had submitted a letter to the planning commission listing a number of concerns. She said she looks forward to neighboring with the facility, although the protection of the children in her care is of utmost importance to her. Smoking and profane language were specifically named among Schleicher's concerns. However, Schleicher said she recognizes the value of the center. That's because she once helped lead a tour of the organization's other treatment center, The Oak House in Painesville, for members of the Western Reserve Junior Service League. The Western Reserve Junior Service League is a group of women who volunteer and raise money for nonprofit organizations in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties. Schleicher said she has never been a patient of Oak House. Incorrect information was reported in a previous News-Herald article.